By: Jeremy Anderson Posted at: 05/04/2013 09:29 AM CUSTER, S.D. (AP) - The first of three mountain pine beetle spraying workshops planned for the Black Hills during May is being held Saturday.

The workshop hosted by the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the Crazy Horse Memorial near Custer.

The workshops focus on the benefits and methods of treating trees to protect them from mountain pine beetles, covering spraying techniques and chemicals. Representatives from area spray companies will be on hand to discuss their services.

The second workshop will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Lead High School auditorium in Lead. The third is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Pennington County Fairgrounds in the Walter Taylor 4-H Building in Rapid City.